Why did Shakespeare make "the rest is silence" Hamlet's final words? | eNotes Why did Shakespeare make "the rest is silence" Hamlet's final words? amymc | High School Teacher | (Level 2) Associate Educator Posted on June 13, 2011 at 12:13 AM I would ask you to consider the "noise" that Hamlet has been experiencing since his father died. Because Hamlet is a sensitive, philosophical young man, he thinks rather than acts. However, his father has been murdered and demands revenge from his only son. Therefore, Hamlet experiences a lot of emotional "noise" and it tends to be introverted psychologically rather than extroverted (inward, not outward). His erratic thoughts create additional "noise" as does his thwarted love for Ophelia and the deceptions of his two friends. As Act V concludes, he realizes his end may be near and does not seem afraid.

In fact, he seems to have resolved his life to the hand of fate, as the following quotation implies: If it be now, 'tis not to come; if it be not to come, it will be now; if it be not now, yet it will come: the readiness is all: since no man has aught of what he leaves, what is't to leave betimes? After this decision, the "noise" in his head subsides. He seems to think more clearly. The final quote--"the rest is silence"--could represent the true peace that Hamlet feels as both external and internal noise are gone. like 2 dislike 0 August 16, 2008 at 9:29 AM Hamlet, who speaks the majority of the lines in the play, is about to die and stop speaking for ever. He has avenged his father's murder, been cut with the poisoned rapier, and, as he has just reflected to Horatio, is about to pass the crown of Denmark (he is, at this moment, effectively the only candidate to be king) to Fortinbras. There will be no familial succession.

In that sense, the rest is silence for the line of the Hamlets. Yet there is (as with so many other things in Hamlet) a meta-theatrical element. Hamlet has just asked Horatio not to commit suicide (Horatio's line 'Here's yet some liquor left' refers to a drop of poison left and his desire to kill himself) but to stay alive and to 'report' Hamlet's story to Fortinbras. Hamlet cannot voice his choice for succession nor can he tell his own story: he is about to die; there can only be silence from him. But when the play--itself a version of Hamlet's story--comes to an end, part of Horatio's project, even after the curtain has come down, is to re-tell that same story: So tell him, with the occurrents, more and less, Which have solicited. Paraphrase: So tell Fortinbras, with the events and results that came to pass, more or less, which wrongdoing was provoked and incited. So, perhaps, as we come to the end of a performance of Hamlet in the theatre, we confront Hamlet.

Yet, in an odd sort of way, we simply come to the end of a cycle. There is silence at the end of each performance, but every time the play itself is performed, Hamlet's dying wish for his story to be told 'aright' is fulfilled. HAMLET The potent poison quite o'er-crows my spirit: I cannot live to hear the news from England, But I do prophesy the election lights On Fortinbras: he has my dying voice; So tell him, with the occurrents, more and less, Which have solicited—The rest is silence". The reference you mention is part of Hamlet's final speech in which he observes the fact that he is dying and reflects that he will not be a part of anything more in life. The rest of his life is to be silence. His life ended, too soon, leaving a wide gap of silence where years of living should be. Hamlet realizes he needs to rely on Horatio to tell Fortinbras that he has Hamlet's "dying voice" for succession to the throne of Denmark.

He also asks Horatio to tell the story of his uncle, his father, his mother, of how Ophelia died, and finally of how Hamlet's promising life was cut short when he says: HAMLET. So tell him, with the occurrents, more and less, Which have solicited ... May 29, 2008 at 8:39 AM The obvious answer is probably the right one here: It was the end of the play. Hamlet dies with these words. For nearly the entire play, Hamlet wrestled with the words of his father's Ghost asking him to take revenge against Claudius for having killed King Hamlet. Now, Claudius is dead by Hamlet's hand. Gertrude, Hamlet's mother and the one the Ghost wanted left alone, is also dead. There is no one left to carry on the family line, Hamlet has named his successor as Fortinbras, so there is silence. like 1 dislike 0 June 24, 2011 at 6:16 PM hmm.m, well i personally think that he says that to show that it is all over.

from the beginning of the play,Hamlet is troubled and later he has to deal with the voice of his fafther's ghos in his head telling to revenge but in that moment he was finally free of that voic and all the worry. he tell Horatio to tell his story...about all tha had occured in his family but now that he was about to die like everyone else what else could be there but silence? and in Horatio's case it could be taken as a sign of the last order from his prince. he was never going to hear Hamlet's voice again like 1 dislike 0 January 8, 2010 at 12:14 AM Because the man lived and died with the pun (and I mean this in a good way), and he couldn't help but close his greatest play with one.

And what a good pun it is, since it supports at least three or four interpretations, including: a) rest can either mean 'that which is remaining' or, in Hamlet's case, death; b) silence can simply refer to the fact that the play is over--there are no words--or to a description of the state of death; c) a comment on the fact that every other major character is dead and might more grammatically be written 'the rest are silenced." like 1 dislike 0 August 18, 2008 at 10:24 PM The Rest is Silence. In Shakespeare's day, most people unquestioningly believed in heaven (and hell). But Hamlet is a child of the new, philosophical Renaissance, his final line questions the old certainty of Heaven. Hamlet has talked of death throughout the play and stared into the eyes of a freshly-unearthed, dead skull, looking for meaning. Now he is dying and he says, 'the rest is silence' There is a double-wordplay on 'rest' :- 1) Rest could mean "...the remainder..." as in "...we watched the rest of the movie..." or "...the dog had the rest of the meatloaf...".

So Hamlet's saying, "You will hear no more words from me for the rest of time, 'cos I'll be dead." 2) Or 'rest' could mean sleep... eternal rest, the sleep of death. He asked himself a question in the 'to be or not to be' speech, "For in that sleep of death, what dreams may come?". Now he can see over Death's shoulder and he has his answer. What dreams may come? None, the rest is silence. There is no heaven. There is no hell. No 'undiscovered country'. There is just the silence of the grave. Scary Stuff! (Plus, theatrically speaking, it is the end of the play, there is a little 'wrapping up' afterwards by the minor characters, but basically it is the final line, 'The End'. 'The Rest is Silence, Thanks For Coming, and Goodnight.) like 1 dislike 0 Shakespeare's Hamlet - Hamlet's Silence Hamlet's Silence From Hamlet, an ideal prince, and other essays in Shakesperean interpretation: Hamlet; Merchant of Venice; Othello; King Lear by Alexander W. Crawford.

A great many students of the play have expressed surprise that nowhere does Hamlet give distinct utterance to his conception of the nature of the task assigned him by the ghost. He nowhere explains clearly his own motives, not even in his private talks with his friend, Horatio, nor yet in his soliloquies. This may be due in part to the fact that Hamlet is not the play. As we have seen, the problem of the play cannot be solved by reference only to the prince. The situation of the play is developed before he comes on the stage, and as we shall see later the full solution is reached only after his death. Moreover, the character of his troubles and his task of revenge are of such a personal nature that he cannot reveal them even to Horatio. The fact that his troubles are only suspicions, that cannot be verified at present, forbids a declaration even to his bosom friend. Hamlet very properly has the habit of silence. There is about him, as has been said "an habitual secrecy" that resists all our prying inquisitiveness. He scarcely deigns even to mention his suspicions to himself, and his soliloquies do not disclose fully his inner thoughts.

In his first soliloquy, which occurs in his first appearance on the stage, Hamlet denounces his mother's "o'erhasty marriage," as if this were all that troubled him. His great grief almost breaks his heart, yet he concludes by reminding himself that he must not speak out, saying, "But break my heart, for I must hold my tongue!" (I. ii. 159.) In all his associations with his friends, moreover, he enjoins them to the strictest secrecy regarding any revelations made to them. When Horatio and the others tell Hamlet of the appearance of the ghost, he draws from them all the information he can, and then pledges them to the utmost secrecy, saying, "Give it an understanding, but no tongue." (I. ii.

249) After he has himself seen the ghost they ask him, "What news, my lord.?" But he denies them, saying, "No; you will reveal it." He then seems to think of telling them, first pledging them to secrecy, and begins by saying, "There's ne'er a villain dwelling in all Denmark," and then changing his mind for fear they will disclose it, he adds indifferently, "But he's an arrant knave." A few moments later, after assuring them, "It is an honest ghost," he makes them swear solemnly upon the cross of his sword, "Never make known what you have seen to-night." Hamlet finds it impossible even to make a confidant of Horatio, for not only is his trouble only a suspicion, but it is of the most intimate personal kind, involving as it does the honor of his mother. Fortunately, the friendship between the two is so genuine and strong that Horatio remains his trusty friend without a knowledge of all that is in Hamlet's mind and heart. It is clear, however, that Horatio knows much more than the others, and more than Hamlet is reported as telling him.

At the end of the play, when he is dying, Hamlet solemnly charges Horatio after his death to "report me and my cause aright To the misatisfied." (V. ii. 326-7.) Then after giving his voice for the election of Fortinbras as the next king of Denmark, he dies with these words on his lips, "the rest is silence." (V. ii. 345) No words of Hamlet, then, fully disclose his thoughts and his motives, nor is it necessary that they should. All his words are naturally spoken with the closest reference to the entire situation and the conditions about him. These conditions must, therefore, interpret for us his words and his motives, and if properly understood will make his words clear. Shakespeare does not find it necessary to have Hamlet openly and explicitly declare his thoughts. But he does take particular pains to explain very fully the dramatic situation and all the surroundings of Hamlet, and these give the requisite meaning to his words. It is the supreme art of Shakespeare to delineate his characters in the most intimate relation to the situation and movement of his dramas, and never in isolation or apart from the action of his plays.

In the case of Hamlet, there are fewer explicit words than usual in his plays, and probably for the reason that he has more carefully elaborated the situation that should give the words and actions the meaning required. It is only in these dramatic surroundings that we can find the clue to the character and motive of Hamlet, and these the critics have not been able to understand. How to cite this article: Crawford, Alexander W. Hamlet, an ideal prince, and other essays in Shakesperean interpretation: Hamlet; Merchant of Venice; Othello; King Lear. Boston R.G. Badger, 1916. Shakespeare Online. 20 Aug. 2009. < >. ______________ No Fear Shakespeare: Hamlet: Act 5, Scene 2, Page 17 No Fear Shakespeare Home → No Fear Shakespeare → Hamlet → Act 5, Scene 2, Page 17 Hamlet Give me the cup. Let go! By heaven, I’ll have ’t. (takes cup from HORATIO) O God, Horatio, what a wounded name, Things standing thus unknown, shall live behind me!

If thou didst ever hold me in thy heart Absent thee from felicity a while, And in this harsh world draw thy breath in pain To tell my story. HAMLET Please, give me that goblet, if you love me. Let go of it! I’ll get it from you, I swear. Oh God, Horatio, what a damaged reputation I’m leaving behind me, as no one knows the truth. If you ever loved me, then please postpone the sweet relief of death awhile, and stay in this harsh world long enough to tell my story. March afar off and shout within A military march is heard from offstage, and a cannon fires. What warlike noise is this? What are these warlike noises? Enter OSRIC Young Fortinbras, with conquest come from Poland, To th' ambassadors of England gives This warlike volley. OSRIC Young Fortinbras, returning in triumph from Poland, is firing his guns to greet the English ambassadors. 355 The potent poison quite o'ercrows my spirit. I cannot live to hear the news from England. But I do prophesy the election lights On Fortinbras. He has my dying voice.

So tell him, with th' occurrents, more and less, Which have solicited. The rest is silence. O, O, O, O. (dies) HAMLET Oh, I’m dying, Horatio! This strong poison’s overpowering me. I will not live to hear the news from England. But I bet Fortinbras will win the election to the Danish crown. He’s got my vote as I die. So tell him that, given the recent events here—oh, the rest is silence. Oh, oh, oh, oh. (he dies) 360 Now cracks a noble heart.—Good night, sweet prince, And flights of angels sing thee to thy rest!— Why does the drum come hither? HORATIO Now a noble heart is breaking. Good night, sweet prince. May hosts of angels sing you to sleep.—Why are those drums approaching? Enter FORTINBRAS and the English AMBASSADOR, with drummer and attendants FORTINBRAS and the English AMBASSADOR enter with a drummer and attendants. Hamlet - Wikiquote Hamlet How weary, stale, flat, and unprofitable Seem to me all the uses of this world .

The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark is a revenge tragedy by William Shakespeare , and is one of his most well-known and oft-quoted plays. It is uncertain exactly when it was written, but scholars tend to place its composition between 1600 and the summer of 1602. Contents I'll speak to it though Hell itself should gape And bid me hold my peace . You come most carefully upon your hour. Francisco, scene i Our sometime sister, now our Queen. Claudius, scene ii Claudius: ...But now, my cousin Hamlet, and my son — Hamlet: A little more than kin, and less than kind. Claudius: How is it that the clouds still hang on you? Hamlet: Not so my lord; I am too much i' the sun. scene ii Seems, madam! Nay, it is; I know not "seems." Hamlet, scene ii O, that this too too solid flesh would melt, Thaw, and resolve itself into a dew. Hamlet, scene ii Note: "Solid" is the word found in the First Folio edition of the plays (1623).

Earlier versions (the First and Second Quartos), had used the word "sallied." In some later editions, the word was "sullied." How weary, stale, flat, and unprofitable Seem to me all the uses of this world. Hamlet, scene ii Frailty, thy name is woman! Hamlet, scene ii But break, my heart, for I must hold my tongue. Hamlet, scene ii Thrift, thrift, Horatio! The funeral bak'd meats Did coldly furnish forth the marriage tables. Hamlet, scene ii A countenance more in sorrow than in anger. Horatio, scene ii I'll speak to it though Hell itself should gape And bid me hold my peace. Hamlet, scene ii For Hamlet, and the trifling of his favours, Hold it a fashion and a toy in blood; A violet in the youth of primy nature, Forward, not permanent, sweet, not lasting, The perfume and suppliance of a minute — No more. Do not, as some ungracious pastors do, Show me the steep and thorny way to heaven, Whiles, like a puff'd and reckless libertine, Himself the primrose path of dalliance treads.

And recks not his own rede. Ophelia, scene iii Be thou familiar, but by no means vulgar. Polonius, scene iii Give every man thy ear, but few thy voice; Take each man's censure, but reserve thy judgment. Polonius, scene iii Costly thy habit as thy purse can buy, But not express'd in fancy; rich, not gaudy; For the apparel oft proclaims the man. Polonius, scene iii Neither a borrower nor a lender be: For loan oft loses both itself and friend. Polonius, scene iii This above all — to thine own self be true; And it must follow, as the night the day, Thou canst not then be false to any man. Polonius, scene iii But to my mind, — though I am native here And to the manner born, — it is a custom More honour'd in the breach than the observance. Hamlet, scene iv Why, what should be the fear? I do not set my life at a pin's fee, And for my soul, what can it do to that, Being a thing immortal as itself? Hamlet, scene iv Something is rotten in the state of Denmark.

Marcellus, scene iv My hour is almost come When I to sulphrous and tormenting flames Must render up myself. Murder most foul, as in the best it is; But this most foul, strange, and unnatural. Ghost, scene v The serpent that did sting thy father's life Now wears his crown. Cut off even in the blossoms of my sin. Ghost, scene v O horrible, O horrible, most horrible! Ghost, scene v And each particular hair to stand on end, Like quills upon the fretful porpentine. Ghost, scene v Variant: Most modern publications modernize this phrase to "Like quills upon the fretful porcupine." O most pernicious woman! O, villain, villain, smiling, damned villain! My tables, — meet it is I set it down, That one may smile, and smile, and be a villain. Hamlet, scene v There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy. Hamlet, scene v How strange or odd soe'er I bear myself — As I perchance hereafter shall think meet To put an antic disposition on.

Hamlet, scene v The time is out of joint; O cursed spite, That ever I was born to set it right! Hamlet, scene v Wherein I'll catch the conscience of the king. Therefore, since brevity is the soul of wit, And tediousness the limbs and outward flourishes, I will be brief. More matter with less art. Gertrude, scene ii. That he is mad, 'tis true; 'tis true 'tis pity; And pity 'tis 'tis true: a foolish figure; But farewell it, for I will use no art. Polonius, scene ii Doubt thou the stars are fire; Doubt that the sun doth move; Doubt truth to be a liar; But never doubt I love. Hamlet, from a letter read by Polonius, scene ii Polonius: Do you know me, my lord? Hamlet: Excellent well; you're a fishmonger. Polonius: Not I, my lord. Hamlet Then I would you were so honest a man. Polonius: Honest, my lord!

Hamlet: Ay, sir; to be honest, as this world goes, is to be one man picked out of ten thousand. Polonius: That's very true, my lord. Hamlet: [Reads] For if the sun breed maggots in a dead dog, being a god kissing carrion, — Have you a daughter? Polonius: I have, my lord. Hamlet: Let her not walk i' the sun: conception is a blessing: but not as your daughter may conceive; — friend, look to 't. Polonius: [Aside] How say you by that? Still harping on my daughter: — yet he knew me not at first; he said I was a fishmonger: he is far gone, far gone: and truly in my youth I suffered much extremity for love; very near this. scene ii Polonius: What do you read, my lord? Hamlet: Words, words, words. scene ii Polonius: [Aside] Though this be madness, yet there is method in 't. — Will you walk out of the air, my lord? Hamlet: Into my grave.

scene ii Polonius: My honored lord, I will most humbly take my leave of you. Hamlet: You cannot, sir, take from me anything that I will more willingly part withal — except my life — except my life — except my life. scene ii Hamlet: My excellent good friends! How dost thou Guildenstern? Ah, Rosencrantz! Good lads, how do you both? Rosencrantz: As indifferent as children of the earth. Guildenstern: Happy in that we are not overhappy; on Fortune's cap we are not the very button. Hamlet: Nor the soles of her shoe? Rosencrantz: Neither, my lord. Hamlet: Then you live about her waist, or in the middle of her favours? Guildenstern: Faith, her privates we. Hamlet: In the secret parts of Fortune? O, most true! She is a strumpet. What's the news? Rosencrantz: None, my lord, but that the world's grown honest. Hamlet: Then is doomsday near. scene ii There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so.

Hamlet, scene ii I could be bounded in a nutshell, and count myself a king of infinite space, were it not that I have bad dreams. Hamlet, scene ii Beggar that I am, I am even poor in thanks. Hamlet, scene ii I have of late, but wherefore I know not, lost all my mirth, forgone all custom of exercises, and indeed it goes so heavily with my disposition that this goodly frame, the earth, seems to me a sterile promontory. This most excellent canopy, the air, look you, this brave o'erhanging firmament, this majestical roof fretted with golden fire, why, it appears no other thing to me then a foul and pestilent congregation of vapours. What a piece of work is a man! How noble in reason! how infinite in faculty! in form, in moving, how express and admirable! in action how like an angel! in apprehension how like a god! the beauty of the world! the paragon of animals! And yet, to me, what is this quintessence of dust? man delights not me; no, nor woman neither, though, by your smiling, you seem to say so.

Hamlet, scene ii Use every man after his desert, and who should 'scape whipping? Hamlet, scene ii O! what a rogue and peasant slave am I! Hamlet, scene ii What's Hecuba to him, or he to Hecuba, That he should weep for her? Hamlet, scene ii That I, the son of a dear father murdered, Prompted to my revenge by heaven and hell, Must like a whore unpack my heart with words, and fall a-cursing like a very drab Hamlet, scene ii The spirit that I have seen May be the devil: and the devil hath power To assume a pleasing shape; yea, and perhaps Out of my weakness and my melancholy, As he is very potent with such spirits, Abuses me to damn me: I'll have grounds More relative than this: the play 's the thing Wherein I'll catch the conscience of the king. Hamlet, scene ii Be all my sins remembered. Get thee to a nunnery: why wouldst thou be a breeder of sinners?

We are oft to blame in this, — 'Tis too much prov'd, — that with devotion's visage, And pious action, we do sugar o'er The devil himself. To be, or not to be, — that is the question: — Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, Or to take arms against a sea of troubles, And by opposing end them? — To die, to sleep, — No more; and by a sleep to say we end The heart-ache, and the thousand natural shocks That flesh is heir to, — 'tis a consummation Devoutly to be wish'd.

To die, to sleep; — To sleep, perchance to dream: — ay, there's the rub; For in that sleep of death what dreams may come, When we have shuffled off this mortal coil, Must give us pause: there's the respect That makes calamity of so long life; For who would bear the whips and scorns of time, The oppressor's wrong, the proud man's contumely, The pangs of despis'd love, the law's delay, The insolence of office, and the spurns That patient merit of the unworthy takes, When he himself might his quietus make With a bare bodkin? who would these fardels bear, To grunt and sweat under a weary life, But that the dread of something after death, — The undiscover'd country, from whose bourn No traveller returns, — puzzles the will, And makes us rather bear those ills we have Than fly to others that we know naught of?

Thus conscience does make cowards of us all; And thus the native hue of resolution Is sicklied o'er with the pale cast of thought; And enterprises of great pith and moment, With this regard, their currents turn awry, And lose the name of action. Hamlet, scene i The fair Ophelia! — Nymph, in thy orisons Be all my sins remember'd. Hamlet, scene i Get thee to a nunnery: why wouldst thou be a breeder of sinners? I am myself indifferent honest; but yet I could accuse me of such things that it were better my mother had not borne me. I am very proud, revengeful, ambitious; with more offences at my beck than I have thoughts to put them in, imagination to give them shape, or time to act them in. What should such fellows as I do crawling between earth and heaven? We are arrant knaves all; believe none of us. Hamlet, scene i Rich gifts wax poor when givers prove unkind. Ophelia, scene i I say, we will have no more marriages: those that are married already, — all but one, — shall live; the rest shall keep as they are.

Hamlet, scene i O! what a noble mind is here o'erthrown! Ophelia, scene i To have seen what I have seen, see what I see! Ophelia, scene i Madness in great ones must not unwatched go. Claudius, scene i Gertrude: Come hither, my dear Hamlet, sit by me. Hamlet: No, good mother, here's metal more attractive. [Hamlet takes a place near Ophelia.] scene ii Hamlet: Lady, shall I lie in your lap? Ophelia: No, my lord. Hamlet: I mean, my head upon your lap? Ophelia: Ay, my lord. Hamlet: Do you think I meant country matters? scene ii So long? Nay, then, let the devil wear black, for I'll have a suit of sables. Oh heavens! die two months ago, and not forgotten yet? Then there's hope a great man's memory may outlive his life half a year. Hamlet, scene ii The lady doth protest too much, methinks. Gertrude, scene ii Why, look you now, how unworthy a thing you make of me.

You would play upon me; you would seem to know my stops; you would pluck out the heart of my mystery; you would sound me from my lowest note to the top of my compass; and there is much music, excellent voice, in this little organ, yet cannot you make it speak. 'Sblood, do you think I am easier to be played on than a pipe? Call me what instrument you will, though you can fret me, you cannot play upon me. Hamlet, scene ii Hamlet: Do you see yonder cloud that's almost in shape of a camel? Polonius: By th' Mass, and 'tis like a camel, indeed. Hamlet: Methinks it is like a weasel. Polonius: It is backed like a weasel. Hamlet: Or like a whale. Polonius: Very like a whale. scene ii Tis now the very witching time of night, When churchyards yawn and hell itself breathes out Contagion to this world: now could I drink hot blood, And do such bitter business, as the day Would quake to look on.

Hamlet, scene ii Let me be cruel, not unnatural; I will speak daggers to her, but use none. Hamlet, scene ii O! my offence is rank, it smells to heaven. Claudius, scene iii What if this cursed hand Were thicker than itself with brother's blood, — Is there not rain enough in the sweet heavens To wash it white as snow? Claudius, scene iii Now might I do it pat, now he is praying; And now I'll do 't: and so he goes to heaven; And so am I reveng'd. Hamlet, scene iii My words fly up, my thoughts remain below; Words without thoughts never to heaven go. Claudius, scene iii Hamlet: How now! a rat? Dead, for a ducat, dead! Polonius: Oh, I am slain! scene iv Thou wretched, rash, intruding fool, farewell! I took thee for thy better. Hamlet, scene iv In the rank sweat of an enseamed bed, Stew'd in corruption, honeying and making love Over the nasty sty. I must be cruel, only to be kind: Thus bad begins and worse remains behind.

Hamlet, scene iv Be thou assur'd, if words be made of breath, And breath of life, I have no life to breathe What thou hast said to me. Gertrude, scene iv Good-night, ladies; good-night, sweet ladies; good-night, good-night. So, haply, slander — Whose whisper o'er the world's diameter, As level as the cannon to his blank, Transports his poisoned shot — may miss our name And hit the woundless air. — O, come away! My soul is full of discord and dismay. Claudius, scene i Rosencrantz: I understand you not, my lord. Hamlet: I am glad of it: a knavish speech sleeps in a foolish ear. Rosencrantz: My lord, you must tell us where the body is, and go with us to the king. Hamlet: The body is with the king, but the king is not with the body. The king is a thing — Guildenstern: A thing, my lord? Hamlet: Of nothing. scene ii Hamlet: A man may fish with the worm that hath eat of a king, and eat of the fish that hath fed of that worm.

Claudius: What dost thou mean by this? Hamlet: Nothing but to show you how a king may go a progress through the guts of a beggar. scene iii Claudius: Where is Polonius? Hamlet: In heaven; send thither to see. If your messenger find him not there, seek him i' the other place yourself. But, indeed, if you find him not within this month, you shall nose him as you go up the stairs into the lobby. scene iii How all occasions do inform against me, And spur my dull revenge! Hamlet, scene iv O! from this time forth, My thoughts be bloody, or be nothing worth! Hamlet, scene iv We know what we are, but know not what we may be. Ophelia, scene v Good-night, ladies; good-night, sweet ladies; good-night, good-night. Ophelia, scene v When sorrows come, they come not single spies, But in battalions. I'm lost in it, my lord.

But let him come; It warms the very sickness in my heart, That I shall live and tell him to his teeth, 'Thus diest thou.' Too much of water hast thou, poor Ophelia, And therefore I forbid my tears. Laertes, scene vii What is the reason that you use me thus? I lov'd you ever: but it is no matter. Let Hercules himself do what he may, The cat will mew, and dog will have his day. Hamlet, scene i There's a divinity that shapes our ends, Rough-hew them how we will. Hamlet, scene ii We defy augury; there's a special providence in the fall of a sparrow. If it be now, 'tis not to come; if it be not to come, it will be now; if it be not now, yet it will come: the readiness is all. Hamlet, scene ii The potent poison quite o'er-crows my spirit: I cannot live to hear the news from England; But I do prophesy the election lights On Fortinbras: he has my dying voice; So tell him, with the occurrents, more and less, Which have solicited.

The rest is silence. Hamlet, scene ii; variant, from the First Folio: The rest is silence. O, o, o, o. [Dies] If thou didst ever hold me in thy heart, Absent thee from felicity awhile, And in this harsh world draw thy breath in pain, To tell my story. Now cracks a noble heart. Good-night, sweet prince; And flights of angels sing thee to thy rest. Horatio, scene ii Bear Hamlet, like a soldier, to the stage. Fortinbras, scene ii Go, bid the soldiers shoot. Fortinbras, scene ii Hamlet Act V, Scene ii Summary Hamlet Act V, Scene ii Summary Hamlet tells Horatio what happened while he was out of Denmark: he was on the ship to England, when he got the idea to check out Claudius' letter in Rosencrantz and Guildenstern's pack. Surprise! It tells the king to have Hamlet killed—for the good of the country and all. (Click the summary infographic to download.) But Hamlet has some tricks up his own sleeve, so he alters the letter to tell the king that the bearers of the letter (i.e.

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern) should be killed. Hamlet even sealed the new letter with his father's own signet (a stamp-like object with a design relating to one's title or authority, often on a ring, used to seal official letters) which he conveniently had in his purse. As luck would have it, the next day was the great sea fight where Hamlet ran off with the pirates. Horatio and the audience know the rest. Horatio gives Hamlet a chance to be like, "Sorry I killed our friends in a manner that will damn them to eternal Hell," but instead Hamlet just basically shrugs. They're collateral damage, which is to be expected in a battle between two great forces (Hamlet and Claudius, presumably). It's logic: Claudius has tried to kill him; Claudius killed his father; Claudius "whored" his mother; and Claudius deliberately stands in the way of Hamlet's access to the crown of Denmark. Ergo, if anything, he would be wrong not to kill Claudius, since he'd only do more harm with time.

But he is sorry Laertes got caught up in the whole thing, and he's actually going to try to make up with him. Just then, Oscric, a ridiculous member of the court, enters to ask Hamlet if he is willing to fight a friendly duel with Laertes based on a bet. King Claudius has bet six fine horses, six fine French swords, and three beautiful carriages, on the odds that Laertes wouldn't get more than three hits in over Hamlet in a fencing match. The only other little detail is that the duel has to happen right now. Hamlet, ever the fatalist, agrees. Everyone saunters in to watch the duel, including the King (poisoned beverage in hand!) and Queen. Hamlet, shockingly, is the picture of quiet gentleness. Claudius offers to put Laertes' hand into Hamlet's, and Hamlet takes the opportunity to apologize: he was crazy. In fact, Hamlet declares that Hamlet himself is but a member of the group of people who is wronged, and that he is a mortal enemy of Hamlet's madness. Hm, still sounds a little crazy to us. Laertes hears all of this.

He says he's satisfied by Hamlet's apology, but he'd look like a bit of a fool if he just responded, "Thanks for apologizing for killing my dad" and left it at that. Basically, they have to fight to save Laertes' reputation—but it'll be a friendly little fight. Just before the duel begins, Hamlet declares himself to be the weaker player, but Claudius declares he doesn't mind. As Osric presents the men the swords, Laertes quibbles, dismissing one as being too heavy. He's clearly picking through the swords, seeming to be choosy, when actually we know he's searching for the sharpened, poisoned sword. So, apparently he's still going on with his plan, in spite of the seeming truce. Hamlet is much less choosy than Laertes; he's satisfied and takes a sword after asking only one question about whether the swords are all the same length (which matters for fighting, but not for pulling off a dastardly plan). Claudius also makes a big show, saying cannons will fire and the King will drink to Hamlet's good hits.

As Hamlet and Laertes cross swords, Hamlet scores the first few points. Claudius offers him the poisoned goblet of wine, but Hamlet declines and keeps fighting. Gertrude then toasts Hamlet with the poisoned wine, and… the Queen drinks. Oops. Meanwhile, Laertes is battling with himself in an aside, wondering if it's not against his conscience to strike Hamlet with the poisoned sword. Laertes ends up striking Hamlet, and in a scuffle, the two men somehow exchange swords, and Laertes is wounded with his own poisoned sword. Everyone basically starts dying at the same time. Laertes declares it fitting that he die by his own sword's treachery. The Queen cries out, and Claudius tries to pass off her falling as a fun game she likes to play when she watches sword matches. And then she finally declares above the uproar that the drink was poisoned. Hamlet declares treachery is afoot. Yep, says Laertes. He and Hamlet will expire within a half hour from poisoned swords, and Gertrude will beat them to death by a few minutes.

Laertes immediately declares, in so many words, "It's all Claudius' fault! Claudius did it!" Hamlet, always thinking quickly, grabs the poisoned sword and stabs Claudius. The people all shout out that it's treason. Just in case, Hamlet also forces Claudius to drink the rest of the wine. Just before Laertes dies, he asks for Hamlet's forgiveness; Hamlet isn't any more responsible for his death (and Polonius') than Laertes will be for Hamlet's. Hamlet realizes he's about to die, too, so he says he doesn't have enough time to tell the story himself, but Horatio should explain to the world what just happened. Just then, we hear the sound of approaching soldiers: it's Fortinbras! And his army! Returning victorious from his battle with Poland! Hamlet opens his final speech with, "O, I die." Hamlet declares Fortinbras should become the next King of Denmark, probably because everyone in Denmark is dead. "The rest is silence," he says, and dies. Then Horatio talks about Hamlet's noble heart and how he hopes lovely little angels will bring the sweet prince to his rest.

Then there's lots of drumming as Fortinbras enters with the English ambassadors. Fortinbras is puzzled by all of the dead bodies strewn about. The English ambassadors say they've just come to report that Rosencrantz and Guildenstern have been killed, according to orders. Everyone is appropriately shocked, but Horatio promises to explain the entire bloody story. Fortinbras says it's all really too bad, but he has rights to the throne, and since it's kind of empty, he'll just be settling up there to hear the story. In the meantime, Hamlet should have a fine burial with the rites of war and soldier's music, since Fortinbras is sure that Hamlet would've been a good king. And, with a body count of eight (Polonius, Ophelia, Rosencrantz, Guildenstern, Laertes, Gertrude, Claudius, and Hamlet), it's over: The End. tattoo | 365 Days of Shakespeare 365 Days of Shakespeare That's right – the Bard in a year.

Posts Tagged ‘tattoo’ leave a comment » With the popularity of tattoos on the rise – as well as the popularity of being a total nerd for Shakespeare – it makes sense that those seeking ink are also seeking to be inspired by the Bard. He was a master of writing beautiful words and verses, as well as painting beautiful images in his speeches that have lived on for centuries. Many admirers would like to make an everlasting mark upon their skin to represent their love for his incredible writing. One of his most romantic and popular plays, “Romeo and Juliet”, has several wonderful passages that would work well for a literary tattoo. Here are just a few ideas to get you started. QUOTE TATTOO IDEAS: “One fairer than my love? The all-seeing sun ne’er saw her match since first the world begun.” “Did my heart love till now? Forswear it, sight! For I ne’er saw true beauty till this night.” “Parting is such sweet sorrow.” “What’s in a name?

That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” “I defy you, stars!” “Be but sworn my love.” IMAGE TATTOO IDEAS: -Anything to do with crossed stars (stars in general make up a lot of the play’s action and verse, since it has to do with fate and “star-crossed lovers”). -An idea from the hilarious book “My Name is Will” by Jess Winfield, a founding member of the Reduced Shakespeare Company: Two roses, one white and one red (which, incidentally, mirrors the roses from the War of the Roses), with “By any other name” written below. -Of course, roses in general work, as well. Though roses are a very popular and oftentimes cliche tattoo choice, adding something a little more Shakespearean will set yours apart from the rest! -For a couple’s tattoo (not that I recommend doing this…ever), there is the idea of one getting “Montague” and the other “Capulet”. Go all out with a coat of arms, if you feel inspired! -A mask is always a good option, since Romeo and Juliet first meet and fall in love at a masked ball.

-This one is my own personal idea…but if you want to steal it, go right ahead, since I haven’t made up my mind about it yet: A quill pen, with a line or two from “Romeo and Juliet” being scripted. Written by Caroline Mincks leave a comment » Many literary types cannot resist getting a tattoo that reflects their passion for the written word – which is why Shakespeare-inspired tattoos are particularly popular among that crowd. One of his most beloved comedies, “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”, has become a favorite among the inked for those who wish to decorate their bodies with a passage or an image.

If you are interested in a tattoo inspired by “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”, here are a few ideas to get you started: PASSAGES “The course of true love never did run smooth.” “Lord, what fools these mortals be!” “Jack shall have Jill; Nought shall go ill; The man shall have his mare again, and all shall be well.” “Lovers and madmen have such seething brains, such shaping fantasies, that apprehend more than cool reason ever comprehends.” “And as imagination bodies forth the forms of things unknown, the poet’s pen turns them to shapes and gives to airy nothing a local habitation and a name.” “Love, therefore, and tongue-tied simplicity in least speak most, to my capacity.” “’Tis almost fairy time.” “Give me your hands, if we be friends, and Robin shall restore amends.” IMAGES -A fairy, of course, is a great image inspired by “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” since so much of the plot relies on them. -There is quite a lot of nature imagery in the play. The most prominent, of course, is the “love-in-idleness”, or the purple flower whose magical properties causes so much of the mayhem.

There is a white flower that is its counterpart, which takes the charm away. A duo of these flowers would be particularly pretty. -There is also a lot of imagery that relates to the moon – Hippolyta starts it in the very first scene, Titania continues it, the mechanicals are pressed to find out the moon’s schedule, and several other characters mention the moon throughout the play. Therefore, a tattoo of a moon would be a beautiful image to have tattooed. Any tattoo related to “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” will undoubtedly have an element of darkly whimsical beauty to it if it is an image, and certainly some beautiful poetry if it is a passage. Of course, these are only a few ideas and suggestions – there are surely other things that would be beautiful upon the skin , so read the play and look for pictures to find out what other tattoo ideas this play can offer! Written by Caroline Mincks leave a comment » “Hamlet”, perhaps Shakespeare’s best-known play, has been the source of artistic and literary inspiration for scholars over the centuries. Now, as tattoos are gaining popularity and acceptance in the mainstream, more and more people are turning to the Bard for ink ideas – and “Hamlet” has lots to offer.

Though it is ultimately a play about death, betrayal, revenge, and all other manner of dark material, the play is of course seasoned with beautiful verse and plenty of philosophical remarks. It is these passages that ought to be considered if one wants a tattoo inspired by “Hamlet”, as it is these passages that make the play such an overwhelmingly beloved piece of work. Here are a few such passages from “Hamlet” that would be particularly good for tattoos. Please note that they are out of context and that some begin and end at the “incomplete” points. This is to ensure that they would be more appropriate as a single thought. “To thine own self be true.” “Words, words, words.” “Doubt thou the stars are fire/ Doubt that the sun doth move/ Doubt truth to be a liar/ But never doubt I love.” “More matter with less art.” “Give every man thy ear, but few thy voice.” “What a piece of work is man! How noble in reason! How infinite in faculty! In form and moving how express and admirable! In action how like an angel! In apprehension how like a god! The beauty of the world!

The paragon of animals!” “What dreams may come when we have shuffled off this mortal coil.” “Sweets to the sweet.” “The rest is silence.” For someone seeking to get a “Hamlet” tattoo, it makes the most sense to go with words – it is a rather wordy play, after all, which is perhaps lampshaded by Hamlet’s utterance of “words, words, words.” It is harder to suggest images that would work as effective tattoos – but a skull would, of course, import the argument of the play rather nicely upon the skin. A skull with one of the quotes above would be particularly striking – the “what a piece of work is man”, “What dreams may come”, and “the rest is silence” quotes would work well surrounding the skull image. To truly find the perfect “Hamlet” tattoo, however, one must read the play themselves…so use this article as a jumping-off point and read this glorious play for yourself, to be really inspired. Written by Caroline Mincks The Death of Polonius and its Impact on Hamlet's Character The Death of Polonius and its Impact on Hamlet's Character From The System of Shakespeare's dramas. by Denton Jaques Snider.

St. Louis: G. T. Jones and Company. The death of Polonius has given great difficulty, and even offense; its object should be fully comprehended, for it not only illustrates the character of Hamlet, but also is one of the leading motives of the play. No other incident shows so deep a design, or is so appropriate for its purpose. Hamlet, acting blindly through impulse, slays the wrong one; the result is � guilt. This warning, therefore, speaks from the rash act: Let no rational being give up control to impulse which cannot see, cannot distinguish, the nature of a deed. Man must, therefore, reflect before proceeding to action. But, through reflection, Hamlet is unable to slay the right one; thus he cannot perform the great injunction laid upon his soul. Such is his dilemma; if he acts, it is through impulse, and he falls into guilt; if he reflects, he cannot act � that is, he cannot do the Great Deed of his life, and so commits, at least, a sin of omission. What will be Hamlet's solution? He tells it himself in the latter part of the play. Throw yourself back into impulse, and abandon control through intelligence.

But what will be the result of such a doctrine? Death � the thinking being who cannot act from thought must perish. Through the death of Polonius, Hamlet has committed the very crime which he was seeking to punish; the son of a father murdered has himself murdered a father. Retribution will call up against him a son, at whose hands he will meet his fate. So this incident offers the profoundest illustration of Hamlet's character, and, at the same time, furnishes the motive of his death. Polonius deserved to die for his offences but Hamlet had no right to slay him. How to cite this article: Denton, Jaques Snider. The System of Shakespeare's dramas. St. Louis: G. T. Jones and Company, 1877. Shakespeare Online. 20 Aug. 2009. < >. _______ SCENE II. A hall in the castle. SCENE II. A hall in the castle. Enter HAMLET and HORATIO

Question: Which Shakespearean character dies with the words, "The rest is silence"?
Answer: 'HAMLET'